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O'Neill originally said he would appeal the suspension because he questioned the test findings that showed excessive carbon dioxide.

LOS ANGELES — Kentucky Derby and Preakness-winning trainer Doug O’Neill on Wednesday dropped his appeal of a 45-day suspension stemming from an excess of carbon dioxide in one of his horses in 2010. He will serve the penalty starting Aug. 19.

The punishment runs until Sept. 27, which means O’Neill will miss the final 2½ weeks of the Del Mar meet that ends Sept. 5. California’s three major tracks then take a two-week break before racing resumes at Santa Anita on Sept. 28. During his suspension, O’Neill’s barn and horses will be supervised by assistant Leandro Mora.

O’Neill originally said he would appeal the suspension because he questioned the test findings that showed excessive carbon dioxide. The 40-day punishment is contingent upon him not having any Class 1, 2 or 3 drug violations within 18 months in any jurisdiction. He still must pay a $15,000 fine.

“I just felt my time and money could be better spent doing more positive stuff,” he told The Associated Press by phone. “I’m looking forward to getting it behind me. It will give me a chance to kind of pause a little bit, do things better, be more organized and give back to an industry that I absolutely love.”

O’Neill said he has no specific plans for his imposed time off, adding that “I hope to learn some new things.”